Second Chances
by typewriter junkie
Summary: Ron has died. His family has grieved for two years. Harry has grieved along with them. Hermione has tried to forget it all. Two years after his death, she find him again, with a new life and his previous one left behind. And he's forgotten them all.
1. Chapter 1

Second Chances

Summary: Two years after Ron's supposed death, he has a new life, a new love, and a past forgotten. Except for her. A sister's love will find him and the memory of a girl who truly loved him will bring him home. Sometimes all you need is a second chance...

Some called them the golden trio. Some called them kids. Some called them heroes. But tonight, all names were shot to hell. No matter how you sliced, diced, mashed, chopped, sauteed, boiled, or whatever the hell else you could do with it, they were three sixteen-year-olds scared out their minds. Why? Because in a few hours' time, they would go to battle with Voldemort, the most powerful Dark wizard in a hundred years, possibly in the history of wizardkind.

They were at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, enjoying the butterbeer that may be the last they ever had. Everyone else had evacuated for fear of Death Eaters and Inferi and such, excluding Madame Rosmerta and her cat.

"I'm not leaving my bar," she had said, "It's all I've got and to hell with all of You-Know-Who's followers and werewolves and Inferi and dementors and giants or whatever else he's got under his command. I'm going down with this place. And to tell you the truth, having all his followers do everything for him just shows how cowardly he is."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all sat in silence as they slowly drained their butterbeer bottles of their contents. Harry had taken to cleaning his glasses extensively, Hermione was somberly looking down at her knuckles, which were turning white from clutching her wand so tightly, and Ron had suddenly become extremely interested with the fingernails on his left hand.

"So..." Ron said.

"Yeah..." Harry said back. Hermione reamined silent. She bit her lip.

"Oh, come on, guys!" she said, slamming her hand on the oak table, "This could be the last time that all three of us are together. We've been there for each other for the last five years, through thick and thin, and now we might die. We might as well talk to each other."

Silence.

"Fine. I'll start." Hermione said, turning to Ron. He looked at her in shock.

"What?" he asked. Hermione blushed.

"I've been wanting to do this ever since first year." she said. And then, out of the blue, she kissed Ron straight on the lips. His ears turned so red a tomato would be put to shame. When they seperated, Harry was staring at them with his mouth wide open, his hand in mid motion of cleaning his glasses.

Silence again.

"W-well...it's not like I'm **that** surprised. I had an inkling this would happen sooner or later." Harry mumbled. Hermione giggled. Ron began to laugh. Soon the empty bar was filled with the laughter of the three of them. Ron kissed Hermione on the cheek, and her face turned the same color as Ron's ears.

--

They stood at the end of a large lawn, at which the other end was the Riddle house. Of course none of them would admit it, but what else can you feel when you stand outside of the safehold of someone who could kill you in a flash. Why, nothing other than fear.

All of a sudden, Wormtail came out the door of the Riddle house. He looked around cautiously before spotting the three. His eyes grew wide and ran back into the house and to the lounge, where Lord Voldemort sat watching the flames in the fireplace. Wormtail scuttled to the edge of the large red armchair.

"Master, they're here." he whispered. Lord Voldemort turned his head towards Wormtail slowly.

"Get my cloak." he said simply.

"Yes, Master." Wormtail said, scurrying off to get his master's black cloak. He soon returned, then assisting Lord Voldemort to put the cloak on. They walked through the door, and out into the cold night air. Voldemort took off his hood slowly.

"Harry Potter. We meet again." Voldemort hissed. Harry slowly drew his wand out. Hermione did the same. Ron caught on after a few seconds and took his wand out too. They stood rooted to their spots. Nothing was moving but the grass in time with the slight breeze.

"Did you come here to fight me, or just stand there?" Harry said coldly. Voldemort smirked and pulled his wand out too.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_ Voldemort cried, directing his wand at Harry. A green bolt of light flashed as the three scattered all across the lawn. Four Death Eaters in their masks appeared at Voldemort's side.

They glanced at each other quickly, and then ran at them with all they had.

--

The Death Eaters had been taken down, excluding Wormtail, he'd dissappeared. It was just Voldemort, who Harry had sworn that if either Ron or Hermione killed, he'd kill them. But it looked like the odds looked pretty slim at Harry surviving. Behind the gravestone they were hiding behind, Ron wanted to have a go at Voldemort, but Hermione wouldn't let him.

"Just stop it, 'Mione let me have a go!" Ron pleaded quietly.

"No, I won't let you!" Hermione pleaded back.

"I'm going to go no matter what you say anyway, I'm going." Ron concluded. Hermione said nothing. Ron kissed her one last time, pulled his arm away, got up, and ran.

"No, Ron, **no!**" Hermione screamed. A Death Eater, having awoken a few minutes earlier, grabbed the back of Ron's shirt and hurled him towards a gravestone. His head hit it, and he went cold.

Hermione got up from behind the gravestone and slowly walked towards the Death Eater, who had not noticed what she was doing. She stopped walking at about five yards away. Trembling, she drew out her wand and took aim. And then, just as a tear fell from her eye, she yelled...

_"AVADA KEDAVRA!" _

Her cry distracted Voldemort, giving Harry just enough time to yell the same curse. Hermione ran towards Ron's body and grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. Nothing. Harry kneeled down, took her forearm, and gently tugged slightly. Hermione held on tighter to Ron's wrist.

"Hermione, he's dead." Harry whispered.

"He's not." she said, as though trying to convince herself as well as Harry.

"Yes he is, just let go..."

"NO, HE'S **NOT**!" Hermione yelled, facing Harry with her eyes streaming, "I know he isn't!" Harry's eyes were starting to stream too. Hermione fell against the ground, sobbing. "He's not...he can't be..." she squeezed Ron's wrist one more time. Nothing. Harry helped her up.

"There's nothing we can do." he said quietly, his eyes to welling up, "Come on." Hermione kneeled down and kissed him, then got up and hugged Harry. He was crying too. He kept an arm around her as they walked away, sobbing.

But had she felt for a pulse a moment longer, she would have found one.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey peoples! Sorry I haven't updated, I haven't been writing for SUCH A LONG TIME. My creative juice was pretty much gone, so now that I've had time to recover, here I am. Hope you like the next chapter. :D

So enjoy.

Second Chances

Chapter 2

**Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me...**

_"No!" he screams at her, shaking her by the shoulders. "It wasn't my fault, **I'm sorry!**" she shakes her head, tears falling from her eyes._

_"It's all your fault, look what you did." She replies, using her hand to indicate the burnt, barren landscape that surrounded them. "You destroyed it all." she sits down and looks up at him. "And it won't come back until things change. Until you see what's going on. You know that, right?" She gets up, turns away, and begins walking._

_"Wait! Come back! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!" he yells. She stops walking and turns around._

_"Come and find me, Ron. Then you'll understand."_

_**No...**_

Ron shot up in bed, a cold sweat covering him from head to toe. He was breathing hard, as though he had been running for hours, when all he had really been doing as sitting in bed. He sighed, rubbed his forhead with his palm, brushing away the strands of flaming red hair that stuck to the sweat on it.

He took a deep breath through his nose, put his hands on his lap, and sighed again. He looked down at the blond haired beauty next to him in bed, sleeping a peaceful sleep. Simple, pleasant, and comepletely pain-free.

He laid back down, staring at the blond's face. Her eyes flickered open, noticing his warm breath on her face. Her chocolate brown eyes stared into his clear blue ones. For a moment they reminded him of someone else's. An unfamiliar girl, but her eyes...chocolate brown, warm, almost exactly the same.

"Is something wrong, honey?" she asked Ron.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream." he said, kissing her high, clear forehead. "Love you, Anna." she smiled.

"Love you too." Her eyes fluttered closed, and she slowly drifted to sleep again. He turned to face the ceiling and wondered for a moment, just a moment, who he kept seeing in his dreams. He didn't know. He didn't remember her at all. In fact, there wasn't much he remembered. He remembered almost nothing before the age of sixteen.

He decided it was useless to wonder, she was probably just a figment of his imagination. CLosing his eyes, he drifted of to sleep as well. This time, his mind was clear, and his dreams were pain-free.

--

Hermione walked down the street, a scarf around her neck, a heavy coat on her back, and a messenger bag around her shoulder. Her brown hair was pulled into a low ponytail. She rubbed her eyes with her hand and yawned.

The ever-present smile she used to have was now almost a rare thing ever since Ron...

_**No.**_

She couldn't bear to think about it.

She put her hands in her coat pockets, her breath coming out in white wisps in the biting winter air. The people in front of her were completely oblivious to her presence. They went about their ordinary buisness, completely calm. They were so carefree, not a worry in their lives. She silently wished she could be like that.

Maybe one day. Maybe.

--

Ron was unusually quiet that day. the camera shop he worked in was relatively small, but it seemed samller still today, almost the the point where he felt as though he was suffocating. He rested his chin in his hand and looked out the window, watching the people pass by.

Sighing and letting his mind wander, he caught glimpse of a girl. Not just any girl. Although she might seem that way to other people, this wasn't the case for him. For him, this girl was familiar.

This girl was the one who'd been in his dreams.

He jumped off of his stool and grabbed his jacket. Putting in on as quick as he could, he called to his fellow employee, Trent.

"Trent, take over for me for a sec!" he said, running outside the camera shop.

"Where're you--" Trent tried to ask, but was too late. Ron slammed the door before he got a chance to say the whole thing. Ron's mind was obviously elsewhere. He ran out onto the sidewalk and across the street, dodging cars. He pushed his way through the crowd of people on the sidewalk, trying to get towards the girl. And then, in an instant, he'd lost sight of her. She was nowhere to be seen.

_Hermione._

That single word came to his mind. He didn't know what it was, though. It came to his head again.

_Hermione._

He took a deep breath, and all of a sudden, without knowing why, bellowed it out for the whole world to hear.

--

**"HERMIONE!!"**

Her head snapped around as she heard her name being called out into the street by a voice.

_Ron's voice..._

"Ron?" she said softly. And then she caught sight of him. She could hardly believe her eyes. There he was, tall, blue-eyed, and red haired. Just like she'd remembered him. She started to push her way towards him.

"Ron!" she called out, but her voice was drowned out in the noises of the city. She tried to keep sight of him, but the people who kept walking past and blocking her view made it hard to do so, seeing as she wasn't very tall a person.

The next instant, he'd dissappeared. Her breathing was hard from running and pushing a path towards where he'd been. People now bumped into her still body. A couple sayings of "Watch where you're going!" and "Excuse me, please." were lost by her. The world had suddenly become very quiet.

"Ron..." she whispered, "Was that all in my head?..."


	3. Chapter 3

Just so you know, _italics_ means thoughts or flashbacks.

Second Chances

Chapter 3

**She sat up in bed, answered your call, Dear...**

Hermione looked down at the ground, and then at the people passing her. She shook her head. She turned around and began walking again, her eyes beginning to well up, though she didn't know the reason.

"It was just my mind playing tricks on me..." She thought to herself. But that hadn't happened before. Not once in the past two years had that happened to her. But it happened now. She bit her lip to stop it from trembling. She decided this shouldn't have an impact such as this upon her.

"Ron..." she whispered again, "I loved you so much..." She looked up at the sky. "You know that, right?"

--

Ron hung his head in defeat and walked back to the camera shop. He really thought he'd seen her, but instead made a complete idiot of himself in the middle of the street. Her-my-oh-nee. Heh. What sort of word was that, hm? He smacked his forehead with his palm.

Idiot.

He walked back into the camera shop, his head still hanging, hands in his pockets. Trent raised an eyebrow at him as he went behind the counter. Ron gave him a glare. He sat down on his stool again.

"Don't say anything." he said to Trent. Trent shrugged and looked down at the counter.

"So who was--"

"Shut up, Trent."

--

Hermione finally reached her destination: The Burrow. She knew it was an odd place to go, but she decided to reunite with her friends after such a long time.

_Hermione sat down on the floor, still trying to contemplate what had happened. She had been next to mute, only speaking a word at a time, for the past six days. Harry and Ginny sat down on either side of her. Ginny gave Hermione a small hug, which she returned._

_"I know how you feel, we all do." Harry said, putting his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She shrugged it off. There was an awkward silence between the three of them. After awhile, Hermione broke it._

_"I need to get out of here." She said quietly, vacantly staring at the wall before her. Ginny was puzzled._

_"Out of where?" she asked._

_"Here." Hermione replied, "I need to get out of here, there's too many memories. It hurts too much to stay." Harry sighed._

_"I understand what you mean, but even if you do leave, you won't be able to leave everything behind." he said. Then, for the first time in nearly a week, she looked him straight in the eye._

_"I can try."_

Was it really two years ago? She swore it felt like only yesterday. She took a deep breath, shifted the strap on her messenger bag, and knocked on the door. She waited for a minute and then, suddenly, Mrs. Weasley opened it. Her eyes widened with shock.

"Hermione...?" She asked quietly. Hermione smiled slightly.

"Yeah." she said. Mrs. Weasley opened the door and gave her a hug.

"Mum! Who's at the door?" Fred's voice called. Hermione walked through the door and looked around. Fred caught sight of her and smiled brightly. He then walked over and gave her a hug.

"You guys! It's Hermione!" he called up the stairs. After a moment, Ginny came running down the stairs. She gave Hermione a hug so tight that it might of suffocated her if she hadn't let go after a few seconds.

She saw the rest of the Weasleys over breakfast, and they all smiled at her. She smiled back a few times, even. Ron's chair had remained empty. It seemed that no one had the heart to sit in it or move it from its place.

They seemed happy though. She guessed that was a good thing.

--

Ron's day went somewhat fine after that little incident. He still felt quite embarrased but it was fine still. At the end of the day, he closed the camera shop and picked up the keys to his flat. Walking, he kept thinking about the girl. Not that he **fantasized** about her or anything, just...he wondered who she was.

Who wouldn't?

He quietly turned the key in the keyhole, opening the door. He saw Anna sitting at the table. She looked up at the newspaper she was reading and smiled at him. She walked over to him and kissed him.

"Hey, honey." she said, smiling, "You want to go out and do something tonight?" Ron looked at her, surprised.

"Why?" he asked in return. Anna looked slightly discouraged.

"Well...it's just that we never do anything anymore, you know? I mean, nothing special, just go out to dinner. Or something along those lines." She said looking down. Ron smiled and kissed the top of her head, giving her a hug.

"Alright. Tomorrow though, okay?" he said.

"Okay." she said.

--

Hermione spent the rest of her day catching up with everyone. It was pleasant to see everyone, Ginny especially. Ginny was always so funny. She'd shown Hermione the engagement ring Harry had given her, and she had to admit, it was quite breathtaking. Harry had grown leagues taller in the two years past. An inch or two shorter than Ron was.

_Was..._

Hermione smacked herself in the head.

_"Stop thinking about him! You **need to move on** Hermione!"_ she told herself.

She had a feeling that that wouldn't happen anytime soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Second Chances

Chapter 4

**Going back to get away, after everything has changed...**

Everything seemed so strange and awkward now. At least since she came back. It just...it didn't feel right, was the problem. She was more talkative now, but not by much. Feeling like she needed a break from thinking, Hermione sat down in a chair at the dining table.

Ron's chair.

It still smelled like him. The mixture of cheap cologne, buttermilk, and a scent only Ron had posessed. She smiled slightly at the thought of him, memories flooding back to her. She missed who she had been. She missed how she used to laugh, how much she loved going on those midnight adventures in the castle. And no matter how much she tried to deny it, there was that little part the always reminded her...

She missed him.

Two years seemed so short...

--

"Anna!" Ron called when he got back to his flat. Anna came out from the kitchen, sipping a glass of water. He smiled at her.

"Are we going now?" she asked him. Ron nodded. She smiled, got her jacket, and kissed Ron. "Let's go."

Ron loved Anna very much, that was quite certain. But there was always a certain part (Very small, mind you) that always felt uncomfortable when he kissed her, hugged her, or any of those touchy-feely moments. Like it wasn't...well...**ethical** to be doing this with her. Like he should be doing these things with someone else. He wasn't sure who, just not **Anna**.

--

Ginny came down at sat next Hermione. She was worried, Hermione was staring off into space, and hadn't really talked to her or anyone a lot since she came back. More than she had awhile ago but still not a lot. Ginny softly tapped her on the shoulder, pulling Hermione out of her reverie suddenly and not very comfortably.

"Yeah?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Is there something on your mind?" Ginny asked back. Hermione shook her head, "Well, I was just wondering...would you like to go out to dinner tonight instead of staying home?" Hermione looked confused.

"But your Mum..."

"She won't mind it if you really want to." Ginny said. "Just the two of us. And the twins, if they want to go." Hermione smiled.

"Yeah. I'd like that." she said quietly.

--

Anna and Ron sat down at their table and waited for a waiter to come by and give them their menus. While they sat, Anna decided to ask ROn something she'd been wondering about. Though she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know.

"Ron...you seem sort of...tense since yesterday." she said, playing with her fingers. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" Ron opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. He thought about his reply for a moment before answering.

"Anna, do you swear you won't laugh at me when I tell you this?" Ron said, She nodded. "Well...I've been having these dreams lately and...well...there's this girl in them. She's got this sort of bushy brown hair and she's kind of short. And so...well...yesterday at work I saw her on the street...or at least I thought I did and I yelled some sort of word out into the street. I don't know if it was a name or some sort of object or little made-up magical word but it was..."

--

"...Hermione."

Her head snapped around as she heard it in the resteraunt. That was the second time she'd heard Ron's voice saying her name in two days. She hadn't really thought about it at first, but maybe she was going mad.

"'Mione, you've got to just relax. I know you're not going to forget about him but just...well...let it go for now. You're with your friends. Having a peaceful dinner. In a resteraunt. A rather nice one, might I add. I mean, look at the--"

"Fred..."

"Sorry." he said looking away from Ginny's glare. Hermione gave a slight laugh.

Fred had decided to come with them, whereas George decided to stay home. "Nothing better than a home-cooked meal. And I feel weird around those sort of people. They make me feel like I'm beneath them or something," George had said. So it was Ginny and Fred who went out with Hermione to dinner.

"There we go." Fred said, smiling, "We've got a bit of the old Hermione back."

--

Ron sighed and leaned back in his seat. Rubbing his eyes with one of his hands, he said,

"I'm sorry Anna, this is just supposed to a relaxing dinner and then..." he said, sighing again. Anna smiled and put her hand on his.

"It's all right." she said, her brown eyes twinkling.

_"Hermione..."_ The word just popped into his head and for a moment, Anna's image was replaced by the girl in his dream. This was starting to get to Ron. Who the hell was this girl, and why did he keep thinking about her? He had a burning curiousity that wa mixed with a small bit of frustration. He wanted to know who she was, but most of all, he just wanted her out of his head.

Anna got up from her seat and swung her blond hair oover her shoulder. "I'm going to the bathroom, okay?" she said. Ron nodded. Anna got up from her chair and passed Ginny, Fred, and Hermione's table. She looked back at them once, twice, then three times before going into the bathroom. She came back down and stopped at their table before going back to her own.

"I'm sorry for this, but I just can't help but thinking I've seen you before." Anna said to Fred. Fred raised his eyebrow.

"Uhm...I don't think we have..." he said. Anna rubbed the back of her neck with one of her hands.Ginny looked at Fred. Fred looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Ginny. There was an awkward silence.

Hermione shifted her position and accidently hit a table leg. The glasses and plates clinked at Ginny jumped. "Oh my god, who was that?" she asked.

"Sorry." Hermione said. Ginny sighed. "It's all right, Hermione." she said. Anna turned her head sharply towards Hermione.

"Your name's Hermione?" Anna asked her. She nodded slowly. "Oh my god, my boyfriend's been thinking about that word all day! What a coincidence!" she said, smiling. "Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you guys, have a good dinner, okay?"

"It's all right." Ginny said, smiliing back. "You have a good dinner too."

--

"Your name's Hermione?"

Ron's head snapped to where Anna was standing. Hermione? He looked to who Anna was looking at and saw the girl walking down the street the day before. It was her. She looked the same. And Anna was talking to her.

She was real.


	5. Chapter 5

Second Chances

Chapter 5

**I can't take my eyes off of you, and I can't take my eyes off of you...**

She's real...

He thought as Anna came over to the table and sat down. She smiled at him, then her eyes came wide with realization. She looked back at the red-haired man she'd been talking to and then back at Ron.

"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I just realized..." she said, "I know why that guy was familiar." Anna looked at Ron then back at the man again.

"Why?" he asked, his eyebrow still raised.

"He looks a lot like you, Ron. Isn't that weird? Oh, and that girl over there, the brunette, her name's Hermione. And that other girl looks a bit like you too. It's actually pretty odd." she said, taking a sip of the water in the glass in front of her plate. Ron shrugged, looked down at his plate of food, picked up his fork, and started to eat. He acted as though he'd dismissed the subject, but his mind was on that little threesome at the table a little ways away.

--

Ginny stared in awe at the table the blond had sat at. She looked at Fred, then Hermione, then back at what looked like Ron. Hermione and Fred were also staring at them. The silence seemed to put pressure on their ears. Fred was the first one to break it.

"Is that really...him?" he asked, "He's dead...this can't be happening, it has to be some delusion..." Ginny turned her head towards him.

"Then all three of us are having the exact same delusion? We're all imagining that Ron is eating right in front of the blond that just said the he was her boyfriend? No. This has to be him. It just has to. Things like this aren't delusions." she said, "Our brother is alive. I believe it." Hermione remained silent.

He's alive...he's really alive...

--

Ron was quiet as he ate. Anna was worried that the whole incident with the people at the other table had worried him. Sighing, she looked over at the table where the people she'd been talking to were, and surprisingly saw them all staring open-mouthed at Ron. They seemed to catch sight of her at the same seconds and turned away quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Strange..." she thought. She looked back at Ron, but he was still eating. She tucked a lock of golden hair behind her ear, showing a dangling earring. She put both her hands in a ball and tucked in under her chin, thinking.

_"Anna...I need to tell you something." Ron said, sitting down on the bed and looking at her. Anna looked confused but sat down next to him all the same. Tucking her knees under her chin, she looked at him with her warm brown eyes._

_"What?" she asked, though not completely sure she wanted to know._

_"I can't remember anything from before two years ago." he said, "Nothing significant anyway. I remember a field and room with brooms in it, but that's it. It bothers me sometimes, that's why I got so tense after you asked me why I never talked about my Mum and Dad. It's because I don't remember who they are. I don't know what they look like, I don't where they live or their names or anything...I don't know who my family is, who my friends are...nothing..."_

**_Nothing..._**

Anna could only imagine how frutrating that would be. To know only two years of your life and anything before that drawing to a complete blank. Nothing. She wouldn't know what she would do if that happened to her.


	6. Chapter 6

Second Chances

Chapter 6

**I'd have waited, given the chance again. But I'd do it all the same, either way...**

Hermione looked down and sighed. "Can we go?" she asked. Ginny and Fred looked surprised.

"Why?" Ginny asked, "You okay?" Hermione nodded her head and sighed once more. She bit her lip and looked at the wall next to her. _It's just too much...you're so near, but it's not like I can go and touch you. It's absoloutely clear you don't remember us. _Hermione thought.

"I'm just not hungry." she said, "I don't feel like eating." Hermione got up from her seat. Ginny soon followed, and Fred after her. She went against a wall outside, slumped down against it, and began crying. Ginny came to comfort and Fred stood there, still awestruck by Ron's sudden appearance.

"He doesn't remember me...I can't believe he doesn't remember me..." she managed to say, her voice choked with tears, "He doesn't even know who you guys are anymore..." Ginny put her arms around her.

"Shh..." she said gently, "Maybe he just doesn't recognize you." Hermione looked up at Ginny.

"But how is he alive? How? He was dead! I tried to find a pulse, there wasn't one, he was cold as a stone!" she looked down and bit her lip, "And you two remember the funeral, right? I know I do."

_Everyone was dressed in black. Ron's body was in a dark coffin and dressed in the clothes he'd died in: a red shirt, baggy jeans, and a dark brown jacket. Mrs. Weasley had very much opposed to having him be buried dressed like that, but everyone told her the exact same thing._

_The clothes were simple. Just like Ron._

_No-one said a word. They didn't need to. They all knew exactly how each other were feeling at the moment, and there was no need to worsen the mood by saying how everyone else already thought you felt._

_They each took their turn to put a flower on his chest, each crying as they went. Mrs. Weasley was devastated that Percy hadn't shown up. Fred and George kept saying that he didn't matter, that it just showed how worthless he was to not show up to his own brother's funeral. Mrs. Weasley only bawled even louder at this._

_When it came Hermione's turn to put a flower in the coffin, she did so. She also kisssed his forehead and slipped off a ring she was wearing. It wasn't anything too extravagent, just a plain steel ring that she'd taken to wearing for the past month or so. She took it off her own finger and slipped it onto Ron's left thumb._

_When she came back to the crowd Harry stared at her in confusion._

_"Why'd you do that?" he asked, "That was your favorite ring." Hermione looked down at her feet and a few of her tears fell on the ground._

_"I want him to be buried with a piece of me with him."_

Ginny took Hermione's hand and helped her stand up. "We still don't know if it's really him. It could just be a trick that our minds are playing on us. For all we know, that guy could just be someone who looks a hell of a lot like Ron and has been reading the story about Helen of Troy's daughter. We don't know."

"She's right," Fred said, "It could just be coincidence." Hermione nodded and stood up. She wrapped her coat tightly around herself and walked past the resteraunt window when something silvery caught her eye. She looked through the window and saw the blond girl and the man they weren't quite sure was Ron there, talking and eating. The man brought left hand up to his face to brush away some of his red hair. Hermione's eyes widened.

_He's wearing my ring._

Hermione quickly went to the resteraunt door, ignoring Fred and Ginny's cries of 'What the bloody hell are you doing?'. Without hesitation, she walked up to the table Ron was at, got behind him, and tapped his shoulder with her finger. The man turned around and for the first time in two years, she saw his blue eyes looking back at her. Now she was sure it was him.

She almost choked up on the words when she said,

"It's me Ron. Hermione."


	7. Chapter 7

Second Chances

Chapter 7

**Do you carry every sadness with you? Every hour your heart was broken?**

"What?" he asked, puzzled. Hermione swallowed and put her hands behind her back. She looked down and began to toy with her fingers. Anna was certainly very confused at this.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked worriedly. Hermione took a step back, closed her eyes, and shook her head. She put some hair behind her ear and bit her lip.

"No. It's nothing. I'm sorry, I've got the wrong person." she said, turning around. Ron stood up at grabbed her forearm. She turned her head back around, her eyes filled with tears. She pulled her arm away and stared at him for a moment or two. "You don't remember me, do you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"No...but you look sort of familiar. Are you...a friend of mine?" he asked hesitantly. Her face remained rather emotionless as she thought back on all the years they knew each other. After several moments, she nodded slowly. SHe wiped her nose with her hand and put a lock of hair behind her ear again.

"More than a friend, I would say." she said quietly. Anna raised an eyebrow. Ron swallowed slightly.

"What?" he asked again. Hermione wiped a tear from her eye.

"I was your girlfriend. For an hour or so, I gue--" she began. Just then, Ginny and Fred ran in, took her by the shoulders and began pushing her out the door. "What are you--?" Hermione began again, before Ginny put a hand over her mouth and gave her a look. Fred looked back at Ron and gave him a sheepish smile.

"Terribly sorry about that, sir, our friend here is on a...medication..." Ginny said hesitantly.

"Exactly! Medication! Damn those side effects, going to have to talk to her doctor about that..." Fred agreed hastily as Hermione made monosyllabic grunts under Ginny's hand. Ginny gave her a 'Shut Up' look and as they got outside Hermione pulled Ginny's hand off of her mouth.

"What the hell was that all about?" she asked.

"We saved you from yourself 'Mione. Thank us later." Fred said, putting his hands in his pockets, "Perhaps you could tell us what posessed you to do **that**, hm? Temporary insanity? We still don't know if he's Ron or not!" he said, taking her shoulders again.

"I **do** know, okay?" she said, pushoing Fred's hands off her, "He has my ring!" she said defiantly. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"What ring?" she asked.

"The ring I found. I left it with him at his..." she gulped, "Funeral."

"You said you lost it."

"Well I didn't, did I?" Hermione replied softly. Ginny looked in the window at Ron's hand, then back at Hermione.

"You sure?" she asked. Hermione nodded.

"I'm sure."

--

Anna walked up to Ron and swallowed.

"Your...girlfriend." she said quietly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I swear to god, Anna, I didn't know!" He exclaimed. "Are you even sure she's telling the truth? Maybe she is on a medication? I've never seen her in my life!" (This was, of course, a lie.) Anna bit her lip and a few tears fell from her eyes. Ron sighed and began to hug her, but she pushed his arms away.

"Don't...just don't." she whispered. Ron put his hands on the back of his head, the ring on his left thumb catching some light from a lamp. He looked outside to see the three fighting. The red headed girl turned to look at him, and so did the girl named Hermione. The redhead looked back to the girl named Hermione and asked her something. She replied, and the redhead looked back at Ron. He was looking at her now, and she turned quickly to the man that was with them. She said something that looked like 'What do you want to do?'

_Time is galleons, little brother._

A flash of the man outside talking to him in a rather ramshackle house came to his mind. His eyes opened wider. He left Anna in the resteraunt and ran outside. The redheaded girl stepped back slightly when he approached them. He stood there for a moment, looking at the three of them.

"You're...my brother?" he asked.

--

Fred stood there, dumbfounded. He didn't say a word, for nothing would come. He took a deep breath and put his hands in his pockets.

"What's your last name?" he asked.

"What?" the man who was supposedly Ron asked.

"What's your last name?" Fred asked again, bluntly.

"Wickham." he answered.

"Well it's not. Your name is Ron Weasley. Ron is short for Ronald. I'm Fred. Fred Weasley. This is our sister Ginny," Fred took the man's shoulder and walked him over to Hermione, "This is Hermione Granger. She's loved you since you both were eleven."


	8. Chapter 8

Second Chances

Chapter 8

**The phone calls don't let me look you in the eyes so I can tell you, "Sweetie, please stay."**

Ron shook his head. First gently, then harder and harder until his red hair was blurring his face.

"My name is Ron Wickham. I'm 20, and as far as I know, I'm an only child. I have amnesia. I don't know any of you. I don't!" he yelled, beginning to walk away. Hermione grabbed his forearm as he did. Ron turned his head around and pulled his arm away. "Don't tell me you know me. You don't." Hermione bit her lip, walked in front of him, and smacked him across the face. Hard.

"I do know you. I've known you for seven damn years, so don't tell me for one second that I don't know you. Because I do. And don't you doubt it." She grabbed his left hand and held it up to his face. Her own was red with anger and tears. "You see that ring? That was mine. I put it on your hand at your funeral, before you were put into the ground. I loved you like anything, and I still do. I have memories of you, and I guess that's what's kept me going. But memories aren't people. They don't touch, they don't feel, they don't have feelings, or hearts, or voices, or smiles, or anything! They're just thoughts, they're not **people**!" she screamed the last word out like it was a war cry. She threw Ron's hand at his chest and held it at his heart.

"You're supposed to be dead. You're the miracle." Hermione said through clenched teeth.

_They were standing on a hill. They heard the swing of an axe and a dull thunk. She held him close all of a sudden. Another man was with them, and he hugged them both, his eyes wide._

Ginny came up behind Hermione and took her shoulders. You could tell very easily that she was on the verge of tears. She inhaled and exhaled deeply and turned to Fred. She then looked back at Ron. Hermione began cry into Fred's shoulder, and Fred put his arm around her. "It's okay." he said quietly. Ginny went up to Ron. Her eyes got watery and before he knew what was happening, she'd threw her arms around him and was hugging him tightly.

"I thought I'd never see you again..." she whispered. He stood there, awestruck.

"I'm...supposed to be dead..." he said under his breath. Ginny didn't hear. She wasn't blinking, but tears were falling down her eyes anyway. Hesitantly, Ron put his arms around her and hugged her too. "Ginny..."

_It's the way she talks to me -- you'd think I was about three!_

A flash of a woman with almost white hair and the girl who was now hugging him ran through his mind. He just stood there. It was a little too much for him to take in at once. He looked to the window and saw Anna staring at him, stony-faced. She walked out of the resteraunt, walked up to Ron and tore Ginny's arms off of him.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Just to come over here and--" Anna began

"I'm sorry if I disrespected you or something, but this is my brother! We all thought he was dead, miss. I don't know if there's another way to explain this to you two, but Hermione saw him die. I don't know why or how this happened, but I'm choosing faith and accepting for what it seems. I'm sorry if it's not what it is." Ginny retorted. She took a piece of paper from her pocket and a pen from Anna's pocket. She wrote an address down on it and shoved it into Anna's hands. "You come here if you want answers." she then turned to Hermione and Fred. "Let's get out of here. Please." They followed Ginny as she angrily stormed away, arms crossed. Hermione turned her head around and took another glance at Ron. She then looked back ahead.

--

Anna turned to Ron and shoved the piece of paper in his hands.

"I can't live with you anymore. Please move out." Anna said quietly, turning away. Ron grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, "What did I do?"

"I can't do this anymore. Not after what just happened. Just get your things and go, I think we need a break." she said cooly. Ron let go of her shoulder and watched her walk away down the sidewalk. He smacked his palm against his head several times. He walked the opposite way, just wandering for awhile. He eventually walked to his friend Trent's apartment. He knocked on the door and it took a few minutes before Trent came. He looked like he'd been...rushed into getting his clothes on.

"Can I stay here for awhile?" Ron asked. Trent bit his lip and looked back.

"It's kind of a bad time...uhm...you sure you can't go somewhere else? Like your own apartment?" Trent asked.

"Anna and I had a fight. She won't let me in. What do you mean by 'This is a bad time' anyw--" Ron began, pushing Trent out of the way. He saw a dark-haired girl getting her shirt on in the bed. He turned his head to Trent, mouth open and eyebrows raised. Trent shrugged.

"I'm waiting in the bathroom." Ron said.

--

"It's safe." Trent said. Ron opened the door.

"What the hell?" he asked. Trent shrugged once more.

"It's once in a blue moon, she was drunk, I decided to take a chance." he said. "Not much else to it." Ron sighed and leaned against the sink.

"I met my brother and my sister today." he said. Trent's eyebrows went up.

"You serious?" Ron nodded. "Well what are they like? Tall, short, fat, skinny? Nice? Not nice? Tell me what went on." Trent asked eagerly. Ron sighed. "My instincts tell me that's not all you met today. Family skeletons? Your dad's in prison? Your sister's on drugs? What happened?"

"I met my old girlfriend."

"Ah. So that's what you and Anna fought about."

"And I'm supposed to be dead." Ron mumbled so it was barely audible. Trent froze.

"What?" he asked. "Maybe you're a poltergeist?" he said with an air of sarcasm.

_Peeves the Poltergeist. "Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughtie!"_

Ron leaned forward and grabbed his forehead, hissing with pain. Trent helped him up. "Something wrong? Migraine?" Ron remained silent. Trent shook his shoulder. "You're being extremely quiet. Use your vocal cords, sonny." Ron leaned back up and inhaled deeply.

"I just got a flash. It hurt." Ron replied. Trent helped him stand properly.

"You need rest. But unfortunately, you'll have to use the couch." Trent said. He grabbed a bedsheet from the closet and a battered pillow.

"Have fun." Trent said, turning off the lights.

--

"The Burrow." Ron mumbled. He looked up at the shabby old house and then back at the piece of paper. It had taken him awhile to find it. Near everybody had either told him they'd never heard of it or thought he was looking for a rabbit hole. He had finally got to a old woman with a blind eye that was reduced to tears when she saw him.

"Ron! Ron, my goodness, you're alive! I would have never thought...no spell can bring up the dead..." she rattled on like this for a few more minutes before giving him directions. After that she gave him an odd look. "Would've thought you knew the way to your own house, dear, but I suppose you haven't been there in awhile." she'd said.

Ron walked up the hill to the front door and knocked.

"I'll be there in a minute! Hold on just a second!" a woman's voice rang out from inside the house. She came to the front door and opened it. "Now what can I help you with d--" she began. She then saw Ron's face and her mouth dropped open. She reached out a small, plump hand and touched his face.

"A-Arthur!" she said in a wobbly voice. "Arthur, come here! You won't believe it!" A man, just as plump but several inches taller than the woman, came to the door.

"What is it, Molly?" he asked. He then saw Ron and looked at him with the same expression as the woman. "It's you...it's really you..." he said, his voice choked. His eyes began to well up and a single tear ran down his cheek. "Ron...Ronald..." He took Ron into his arms and held him tightly.

"Ronald, my boy...you're alive..."


	9. Chapter 9

Second Chances

Chapter 9

**Spin me round again and rub my eyes. This can't be happening.**

Ron stood there as a small smile crept over his face. He hugged the man tightly as a familiar smell crept to his nose.

_Dad's been taken to St. Mungo's. He's still alive._

_Mum_

A flash of a note in the same ramshackle house and other people around him as the man from last night read it aloud came to his mind. He closed his eyes and tears ran from his eyes. The woman slowly joined their embrace while sobbing loudly and Ron was whispering,

"Mum...Dad..." Harry came down the staircase and saw the odd clump in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow and went over to them, poking Mr. Weasley's back. Mr. Weasley turned his head around and wiped some tears from ruddy face, revealing Ron's head. Harry froze as he processed the sight.

"It's you...it really is..." Harry mumbled. He stood there a moment, his mouth open and his eyes wide. He slowly walked over to Ron, tears starting to fall down his face. "I'm dreaming, aren't I? I've got to be dreaming…" he said, his voice starting to choke up.

_I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me._

They were in a place that looked like a castle, there was a great fireplace with a fire roaring within it, rugs, and comfortable-looking armchairs.

"You're…Harry?" Ron asked uncertainly. Harry laughed slightly through his tears.

"You think?" he asked sarcastically. "Of course it's me, you twat!" Pulling Ron into a hug, he began laughing while crying again.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked without really thinking.

"So you know her but you pretend not to know me, do you?" Harry said, "She's upstairs, mate. She'll be so glad to see you, but I don't think she'll believe it. I hardly believe it myself." As they went up the creaky stairs a few memories from this house came back to him. Him with Harry and Hermione and what he supposed was the rest of his family at the table downstairs, talking, laughing, eating. Him throwing a knife at the man from yesterday. Two of them actually, perhaps they were twins. One of them pulled out what looked like a wand and it into a paper airplane.

What the hell? He must be going crazy. Magic wasn't real. Maybe his mind was screwed up from the amnesia.

They walked into a room. There, in a wooden chair with a book sat the girl from yesterday. The girl named Hermione. Harry cleared his throat. Hermione looked up, then swallowed.

"So you really are real." She said quietly. Ron remained still. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You...you've seen him before?" Harry asked her, confused. Hermione nodded.

"Last night. When me and Ginny and Fred went out for dinner. It's why we came back so soon." She replied, barely above a whisper. Harry said nothing. She got up, walked over to Ron, wrapped her arms around his thin neck, and hugged him tightly and calmly.

"I wasn't sure you'd come here. I thought you might be a dream." She said. The slight feeling he had when he hugged, kissed, or anything like that with Anna was gone. It was her. And even now, he loved her. Though he barely remembered her at all, he loved her.

Now all he needed were his memories.


End file.
